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Resident witnesses rocket breakup

Dylan Currie was one of the only Hanna residents to witness the return to earth of the Antares Rocket Body which launched a resupply mission from Virgina on Nov. 17 before falling back to Earth just before 11 p.m. on Friday. (Photo courtesy of Becki Bitternose)

He noted the object travelled southeast over Hanna, before dying out in the distance.

Currie noted shorty after there was a strong green light and a bright explosion, followed by a loud noise 30 seconds later.

At the time, Currie asked if anyone else had noticed it, adding, “it was amazing to witness as long as it was not a plane full of people!”

While other residents in the area didn’t see anything, CBC reported several others noticing a “mystery fireball” breaking up over Saskatchewan and Alberta.

A quick search by the Herald found that the American Meteor Society had identified the object, which had more tehan 20 sightings as it travelled over Hanna and east past Regina.

The group identified the event as the re-entry of the Antares Rocket Body. The Antares was used to propel the Cygnus CRS OA-8E ISS spacecraft into space on Nov. 12 from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, as part of a resupply mission to the International Space Station.

After it successfully completed its mission the object fell into orbit, where it joined other pieces of debris leftover from previous missions.

While some debris can remain in orbit for decades, the Antares was predicted to return to earth on Nov. 25 around 5 a.m.

To see a video of the event visit amsmeteors.org/videos/?video id=825.